COLONIE -- In a state in which the rising property tax burden is supposedly prodding voters toward revolt, the three candidates vying for Albany County's state Senate seat spent a lot of time Wednesday talking about morality.

While Domenici, a South Colonie school board member and businessman, tried to keep the exchange focused on the economy and the state's fiscal woes, Carey repeatedly steered the discussion back to religion and faith -- at one point appearing to question how Breslin, as a Catholic, could be pro-choice and support same-sex marriage.

"You don't teach young children ... that it's OK to have sex with whoever you want," said Carey, 48, of Bethlehem. "It goes against the holy Scriptures and the written word of God."

Carey, a car salesman who turned advocate for mental health reform after the death of his autistic son in the care of a state facility, said he believed that GOP gubernatorial candidate Carl Paladino had been treated unfairly by the media for his recent remarks on homosexuality.

Domenici, 49, also said he believed Paladino had been treated unfairly, but stopped short of saying he endorsed him.

All the chatter about faith prompted Breslin to remark that he "didn't expect to come to a debate on religion."

"I'm not elected to serve Catholics," said Breslin, 68, of Bethlehem, who is seeking an eighth term in the 46th state Senate District. "I'm elected to make judgments for the entire population."

Domenici, also a Catholic, said he opposed same-sex marriage on religious grounds. But the retired Army lieutenant colonel called the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy that prevents gays from serving openly the "dumbest policy."

Regardless of his religious beliefs, Breslin said same-sex couples deserve equal rights to civil marriage -- a right, he noted, that would still not require the Catholic Church to perform same-sex ceremonies.

On the issue of Medicaid spending, Breslin said the state needs to do more to explore cheaper, more appropriate middle-ground treatment between home care and nursing homes. But Domenici questioned what Breslin had done to accomplish that.

"For 14 years we've seen Medicaid costs going up. Why didn't you do anything? Why did you wait?" Domenici said, adding that the solution might entail the hard choice to scale back benefits.

Domenici took the most aggressive tone throughout the night, taking advantage of a question about how each candidate would improve the budget process to push his advocacy of term limits.

Breslin said he would seek to speed up the budget process by changing the state's fiscal year, improving the committee system and imposing term limits on leadership posts within party caucuses to prevent the proverbial "three men in a room" -- the Senate majority leader, Assembly speaker and governor -- from dominating the discussion. "It should be only three terms," Domenici said. "You would have been gone already."

Breslin said term limits are up to voters, while Carey said the issue should be put to a public referendum.

Both Breslin and Domenici said they believed that global warming is real. While Carey said he would stop short of calling it a hoax, he said he does not believe "that the global warming problem is as big as many proclaim it to be."

Jordan Carleo-Evangelist can be reached at 454-5445 or by e-mail at jcarleo-evangelist@timesunion.com.